Pages

The Scottish capital Edinburgh, is one of my favourite
destinations that I’ve taken a day trip to. Only an hour bus from Glasgow and
an hour’s plane journey from Dublin airport, Edinburgh is a destination in
close proximity, at a cheap price that will take you to a brand new world. From
the glorious architecture, to the strong, beaming Scottish culture in
Edinburgh, this city should definitely be added to every European’s travel
bucket list.

I headed to Edinburgh with my boyfriend who currently lives
in Glasgow about a month ago, and the imagery of the city still remains very
vividly in my mind. I loved the city and would love to return or possibly move
there, I thought it was so beautiful. That won’t be happening any time soon, so
I will settle for sharing a blog post with some recommendations of how to spend
a day in Edinburgh. Be sure to let me know in the comments if you’ve been to
Edinburgh and what you enjoyed seeing the most.

Edinburgh Castle

What Edinburgh is most definitely best known for is its
castle over-looking the city. It may look like something from the outside, but
as the saying goes, “it’s what’s on the inside that counts” which is why I
would recommend paying the entry fee to enter the castle. It takes about two
hours to go through the castle but there’s lots to see and do there, from
chilling by the cannon balls to remembering all those who lost their lives in the
war. The adult fee is about 15 pounds.

Arthur’s Seat

Unfortunately, when we were in Edinburgh we didn’t have the
time that day to go up to Arthur’s Seat which is something I am meaning to do
on my next visit. Arthur’s Seat is a bit of a trek from city centre but the
views from it are supposedly amazing.

Grassmarket Street

Grassmarket Street is the location of ‘The Elephant House’ ,
the place where JK Rowling created the Harry Potter books. There are also a lot
of pubs and restaurants on this street which is perfect if your stomach is
growling.

The Royal Mile

In the heart of Edinburgh city, The Royal Mile runs from Edinburgh Castle to Hollyrood Palace. It is one of the most renowned sights to see in Edinburgh and doesn't cost you a penny. The walk features a variety of wonderful things from a Christmas Shoppe open all year round, to the camera obscura, to St. Gille's Cathedral and much more. There are also small closes to be seen on some slip streets on the Royal Mile and it is close to lots more great sights in Edinburgh.

Calton Hill

Calton Hill is a hill in the centre of Edinburgh which offers superb views of Scotland's capital. Just off Prince's Street, Calton Hill is a great alternative to Arthur's Seat if you don't have the time to spare to make the trek up to Arthur's Seat.

Quirky Streets

Sight seeing is the main activity you'll be doing on your trip to Edinburgh, and there's an abundance of different quirky streets to feast your eyes on and stroll down on your day in Edinburgh. My personal favourite was Victoria Street which was a curved street that went uphill and had a really interesting Harry Potter shop. Other streets you might consider exploring include Rose Street, George Street, Castle Street, and Prince's Street. Whatever street you walk down, you'll be sure to get a true taste of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is a place with absolutely loads to offer, but
these select things should definitely be included on your visit.

Break ups can be difficult for everybody. You’ve
been with that someone special for a very long time and then all of a sudden
what you once had with that particular person is tossed out the window. It can
be even more difficult when you’ve been friends with the person before you even
decided to start a relationship with that person and coming to terms with
potentially losing a friend as well as a break up can be just as difficult.

I am no expert when it comes to relationships, I
have no qualifications. But what I do have is experience and a shoulder to cry
on. I’ve learnt from my mistakes and hope to carry these lessons on with me the
next time I find my heart throbbing from loss.

So today I am giving a few tips about things you
should and shouldn’t do once your relationship has terminated. I hope that some
of these tips will help you feel better and let me assure you that you are not
alone in this situation, there are so many others who have gone through the
exact same thing.

6 things
you should do after a break up

Relationships are not like clockwork. Not every relationship
is the same. Not every relationship ends amicably and not everybody wants to be
a friends once the relationship has ended. The one thing that most
relationships have in common is that things can be tough following a break up.
It may not take its toll immediately, sooner or later you’re very likely to
find yourself feeling sad about what has ended.

The key thing to focus on is moving on and making
yourself feel better. You should be your main priority at this very fragile
time. Hopefully some of these tips will be a stepping stone in the right
direction.

1.Don’t yell, beg or plead

The end
of a relationship is tough for a lot of people and it can make people upset,
angry and reactive. You may behave slightly abnormally because of your anger
and sadness. I like to think of this as a switch in our brains that turns on as
soon as a break up occurs. Although it’s difficult, we must try to refrain from
yelling, begging or pleading with our exes. It is the reaction your ex will
expect from you and it will make you appear weak. You need to take some time
for yourself to cool off as shouting, begging and pleading are just going to do
more harm than good.

2.Stay out of contact with
your ex for a period of at least 30 days

This
coping mechanism has to be one of the best in my opinion. The quote “out of
sight, out of mind” really comes to mind when I think about it. Staying out of
contact for a while is really a great idea when you break up with somebody. It
gives you time to focus on yourself and not act irrationally as soon as the
relationship ends. From personal experience, I found that it really helped me
to acknowledge how I was feeling and just let it float in my mind rather than
get angry about it.

With social media having a significant presence in the lives
of millennials, it can be hard to stay out of contact with their ex. But there’s
messenger tools that can block them from messaging you or block them from
appearing online. If you find yourself heading to their Facebook profile
slightly too often, it might be time to consider unfriending or blocking them.
Remember the aim is to move on and get over them, not to dwell on the past.

If your ex is a vicious, horrible person you are probably
better off without them and should stay out of contact with them permanently.
However, if you want to be friends again, you can begin by writing them an
amicable message just as long as you’re feeling better than you did originally
following the break up.

3.Do something for yourself

As I
stated earlier in this post, you should be your top priority following a break
up and I would highly recommend doing something for yourself. Start a new
hobby, buy a swanky new outfit or change your look completely with a brand new
hair style. Whatever you choose to do, it is bound to put a smile on your face
and give you that much needed lift.

4.Start seeing new people

Seeing
people straight away isn’t the brightest of ideas. We all know that those
rebound relationships will finish as quickly as they begin. It’s a pretty
common method people use to ‘try to get over their ex’ and can sometimes result
in them feeling even worse once that rebound fails.

However, once you’re starting to feel a bit better about the
whole break up, seeing new people is something you should begin to consider. You
want to go into something new with confidence rather than concern so it is
important that you begin to see new people when you start to make a turnaround
about this whole break up. You know that feeling you get when you begin to
regret breaking up and want to get back together with your ex? That doesn’t
necessarily mean you’re still in love with your ex, it just means that you
crave love which is something you associate with your ex because you used to
love them. So join a new club or do something that’ll get you out and meeting
new people. Eventually, luck will be on your side and you won’t even think
about your ex when you hear the word “love”.

5.Take a break

Traveling
is one of my passions, I absolutely adore it. Taking a break somewhere always
has me returning content and refreshed. Straight after a break up is a perfect
time to go away and forget about your problems for a little while. You can deal
with them later. You don’t even need to go abroad to take a break, there are
probably dozens of nice places a short drive away from you. The world is your
oyster.

6.Try to see the positives
in your life

So your
relationship has ended and that is pretty shitty. Just remember that there is
so much more in your life that you have to be grateful for. Try making a list
of reasons why you deserve to be happy and it’ll change your perspective. You’ll
see things on a larger scale and realise that you still have plenty of fruitful
things in your life such as your youth, health, friends and family.

Most
of us have been in a similar situation in the past and are probably familiar
with the way you are feeling. Remember that the pain won’t last forever and in
time, you’ll forget why you were moping about all the time. It may take a
couple of weeks or a few months, just trust me, you’ll get there.

If
you ever need someone to talk to about this stuff, I am always available
through twitter or through my blog’s email which is left on the side bar.

I
really hope that this post helps some of you that may be going through this.
This is just another challenge that will be conquered.

I have most certainly saved the best US travel diary for last. Today I will be sharing some of the things I got to do and see on my trip to San Francisco. Only an hour flight and a price of $49, the three and a half days spent in San Francisco were worth every single penny. San Francisco was most definitely my favourite destination of my overseas adventure in the states and I would love to return one day.

Once Adrian and I arrived at San Francisco’s airport, we got a train to the citycentre, and from there, walked to our hotel and checked in. Something that surprised me about San Francisco is that there were some areas that seemed a bit rough and had what I only assumed to be gangs. This scared me a little but thankfully didn’t lessen my opinions of San Fran.

By the time we were settled, there wasn’t time to do the most exciting things. But we did go for a wander and managed to do a bit of exploring. We headed to Union Square which at the time was lit with a crazy amount of Christmas lights. It was really pretty. It then began to get dark as the sun set. We headed to China town to check it out. A salesman was trying to bargain with me to get me to buy some ridiculously tacky ornaments. After some bargaining and checking out all there was to see in the China town area, we headed on a walk to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. Pier 39 is a very touristy area in San Francisco and doesn’t fail to offer a large range of shops by the seas. The shops ranged from clothing stores to tacky little stores selling seashells and sea themed souvenirs, to some hipster art stores which were pretty cool. We decided that we would head back on one of our last days to get some souvenirs.

Our first full day in San Francisco involved climbing the twin peaks and looking down at the stunning sight of San Francisco. Following this, we headed on a long walk. We first walked around Golden Gate Park for a little while. I remember seeing some people filming themselves skateboarding who we happened to see again in a restaurant we ate at. After exploring the park for a little, we went to Ocean Beach where the cutest dog ever followed me as I walked beside the Pacific Ocean. By this time, it was lunch time and we developed a bit of an appetite so mutually decided to go to a diner that was close to the beach and the Lands End trail walk we decided to go on that day. I was really craving fish and chips that day and I thoroughly enjoyed it whilst looking out at the ocean. The Lands End trail was a very picturesque walk which allowed us to capture some unique pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. It took us awhile to complete the trail, but it eventually led us to another beach called Baker Beach. It was here that we watched the sun set again. That evening we went for dinner at a diner close to our hotel in the city and shared a banana split for dessert. This was the first one I’d had in years.

Our second full day in San Francisco was probably the most exciting as we finally were going to cross the famous Golden Gate Bridge. We got a bus out to the centre and were both eager to cross the bridge on bikes. Unfortunately, we had to go back to where we came from to get bikes, so decided to walk across instead. Before heading, we had to take a few mandatory touristy selfies with the bridge. It probably took us about 40 minutes to cross the bridge including the time we took to stop and take some photographs. Once we got across, we went up a hill to see the bridge from another angle and then decided to visit a town called Sausalito which was on the side of the bridge we were at. We got a taxi to the main area of Sausalito. Sausalito was a lovely town, not particularly entertaining to be honest, but it looked nice. We went strolling around for a bit, got some ice-cream (Adrian got the most delicious peppermint flavoured ice-cream) and then got a ferry back to downtown San Francisco. Sausalito completely reminded me of my holiday to Madeira last summer. We got off the ferry at the ferry building and explored the large market inside the building as well as the areas surrounding. That night when we got peckish, we found a place called “Hot Spud” which sold a variety of delicious baked potatoes with toppings of your choice. It was almost like a potato version of a burrito place. That evening we also walked down a street called Haight which offered a variety of cute vintage and hipster looking shops. I bought a very nice necklace with an E on it there.

Our final day in San Francisco was very bittersweet. We still had adventures to have but it was our last day of travel in the US before making our way back home for Christmas. Our morning started in a long queue to go on the famous cable car around San Francisco. San Francisco has very steep hills and there is just something extremely idyllic about riding a cable car around hilly San Francisco. We reluctantly got off at a stop somewhere close to Lombard Street as this was a sight we really wanted to see. Lombard Street is that zigzag street that is seen very frequently in movies and has a lot of attraction. Unfortunately, the lighting wasn’t on our side that day and we couldn’t manage to take a decent photo of it. After seeing Lombard Street, we went walking around for a bit and then headed to see the Palace of Fine Arts which was absolutely gorgeous. We also returned to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf for some last minute souvenir shopping and chilling by the sea before heading to the airport. We also tried some deep fried Oreos and explored Japan town before heading to the airport to depart.

There is still so much I’ve to do and see in San Francisco. However, it really was such a great trip. I really hope that you all enjoyed my US travel diaries and I hope you enjoy the other travel and lifestyle posts I have coming in the future.

Ever since I knew I was going to be spending a few months in the states, I was very keen on heading to the west coast. I originally wanted to head to Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, but realistically San Diego wasn’t going to fit into the small time frame we had. I travelled to California with my travel buddy Adrian and we had the most amazing three days there.

The number one rule in my mind when you’re heading to LA is that a car is absolutely necessary. I don’t have my full drivers license, but luckily Adrian did so we decided to rent a car for our few days in LA. We left a literal snowstorm in Chicago Illinois and were greeted by a glorious sunny paradise in LA.

Our first stop was Beverly Hills, where we explored The Rodeo Drive and the area in general. This area was most definitely a luxurious area and pretty expensive. I remember stopping in this restaurant where we got a fairly standard lunch of a sandwich and fries and were charged a lot for it. We managed to explore Beverly Hills pretty quickly and then headed to The Grove Shopping Centre. Other than purchasing my mandatory magnet for my collection, I didn’t really make any more purchases. However, Adrian and I bought a naughty piece of chocolate cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory. It was absolutely delicious. During our first evening, we got to see the views of Los Angeles at Griffith Observatory and watch the beautiful sunset for the first of many evenings.

The following day entailed walking the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The stars on this walk carry on for ages and ages, there are just so many names on it. Some of the main ones I remember seeing as Jimi Hendrix, Walt Disney, Britney Spears, Daniel Radcliffe and so much more. Following this, we drove around for a while and found a neighbourhood somewhere to get some cool pictures with the Hollywood sign. The mandatory pictures had been taken and we both had been craving some beach time. So we headed to Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach. On arrival, we sat in some beach chairs that were around and I got an expensive coconut as I really wanted to try the coconut water. Sadly, it wasn’t worth it but it was very refreshing on the beach. We enjoyed splashing around in the water as well as the Ferris wheel at Santa Monica. Santa Monica was very touristy but there were these beautiful wooden postcards that I couldn’t resist buying as a souvenir for myself. After having some fun in Santa Monica we drove down to Venice Beach where we watched the sun set for the second time in a row. That evening we headed to the popular “In-N-Out” chain restaurant. It is cheap and pretty good for what you get. Our main regret was not trying the animal fries though.

Early on the third day, we set off on a quick flight to San Francisco. I’ll be writing my next travel diary on San Francisco.

I absolutely loved LA, and it is a fun and bustling location for those full of life and energy. Would love to revisit and have more time to bask in the glorious sunshine. My only regret is that we didn’t have the time to visit downtown LA. Would love to see it sometime.